Instant Curriculum (Just Add Teacher): Civics and Economics

Click HERE to follow Just Add Teacher for more resources and updates!

Did you just find out you were teaching Civics and Economics and it's three days before the semester?!? Well, don't panic.... This curriculum is PERFECT for any new teacher or a teacher that just got tossed this curriculum a few days before the semester begins (as commonly happens). There is NO need for a text book.... I no longer use them myself. EVERYTHING you need is here.

This curriculum is uniquely designed for HISTORY teachers who are moving into Civics. While the Civics portion (Government, Law, Politics, equality etc...) is as expected, the economics portion caters to History teacher's existing strengths to facilitate the instruction. Specifically, the economics portion of this curriculum focuses heavily on economic events in US History in the last couple hundred years. Meaning, to explain inflation/deflation, the populist party and Bimetallism movements are used to teach that... Personal finance is taught using installment plan buying in the 1920's and investments are taught using the stock market crash of the 1930's. This is a very popular curriculum for history teachers who are moving into Civics and Economics for the first time.

I am in my 20th year teaching High School Social Studies. I have taught every course that my license allows. I am a hyper-organized person, and my co-workers have convinced me to sell my curriculum(s) here. I have "exceeded expected growth" every semester in every course I have taught since it began being recording that in NC almost 10 years ago. For Civics and Economics, I did that using this curriculum.

While I would put this curriculum’s effectiveness up against ANY (especially if you value consistency, organization and effectiveness).

Here is how the Civics and Economics Units break down.. and what you will receive.

Unit 1 – Principles and Founding of American Democracy

Unit 2 – Structure of Federalism

Unit 3 – Political Parties and Elections

Unit 4 – The Law and You

Unit 5 – The Early Development and Evolution of the American Economy

Unit 6 - The Creation of the Modern American Economy

WHAT YOU GET: What EACH unit Contains (ALL Units are designed the exact same way)

PowerPoint (typically around 50 slides each(Though some can have double that).... half of which are pictures... every bit of information needed is here)

Notes (Students do NOT copy off the PowerPoint... they have notes with the same information, but with CONCEPT questions on every slide they have to answer with two full sentences)

30 Vocabulary Words to define (ALL the vocabulary word definitions are in the notes, and all the vocabulary words are underlined.... I even give my kids a grade for going through and highlighting the vocabulary word and definition in the notes.... and a second grade for defining the vocabulary word on the designated page)

CNN10 Viewing Guide (We start class with CNN10 each day as a bell ringer..... students have to write down three topics they talk about and why it's significant... we discuss this as a class afterwards to get class started)

POSSIBLE ESSAY QUESTIONS (The students will write an essay on their tests, these are a list of the 5 POSSIBLE choices and the rubric they are to study for each.... honestly, for lower classes, I tell them in advance what their essay will be... it's easy to add or lower difficulty here based on the class)

PACKETS (The "I Can Statements", "CNN 10 Viewing Guide", "Vocabulary Words", "Notes", and "Possible Essay Questions" are already organized into a single document for the students)

VOCABULARY QUIZ (this is the 30 Word vocabulary quiz that goes along with the Unit. It has a word bank that goes along with it with two groups of 15.... the definitions are verbatim what is in the notes, and all the words are used, and they are used only once... and as an added bonus... I figured out how to effectively use a scan-tron to grade vocabulary quizzes which will be self-explanatory when you see it. KEYS INCLUDED

MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST (The multiple choice portion has 50 questions. After the first unit, about 35% of the test questions are from previous tests.... the cumulative test questions drastically improve student's scores at the end of the semester) KEYS INCLUDED

COMPLETE TEST (This is my preferred method of testing.... this combines the Essay Question(s), Vocabulary Quiz and Multiple Choice Portion into one document. This is preferred in a Block (or 1.5 hour class) system. If you are on a 7 period day schedule it might be better to break it up for time constraints. KEYS INCLUDED

Test Correction Format/Worksheet (The day after the test, I always do test corrections.... since my tests are cumulative, they need to see the questions they missed... instructions are clear on the form how to do them... I typically give my standard students half credit back and my honors students just get an assignment grade for completion and no change to their test grade)

IN ADDITION TO ALL THAT, In this Bundle you will receive:

-15 Webquests involving various interesting stories throughout US History (These can be used as Rubrics for Essays or Webquests as all the website links are included to answer the included rubric in full) . One web-quest should take an entire class period.

Webquest Topics:

#1 Squanto and the First Thanksgiving

#2 Giles Corey and the Salem Witch Trials

#3 Paul Revere and his Influence after the Boston Massacre

#4 Benedict Arnold, the Traitor

#5 Deborah Sampson

#6 Hamilton and Burr

#7 Sherman and the Annihilation of the Buffalo

#8 Statue of Liberty

#9 Boss Tweed and Thomas Nast

#10 Haymarket Riot

#11 Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

#12 Jesse Owens and the Olympics

#13 Superman v. KKK

#14 1969 Alcatraz Occupation by Native Americans

#15 Skidmore Bully

MANY Independent Practice assignments are included. Most are DBQ (Document Based Questions) Worksheets (with document included) unless otherwise noted below. The handouts encompass the following topics:

Columbian Exchange Worksheet with Key

James Oglethorpe (Primary Source)

Jamestown and Starving Time

Middle Passage (Primary Source)

Tobacco (Primary Source)

Triangular Trade Worksheet with Key

Road to Revolution (Chart)

The Constitutional Convention

The Declaration of Independence Pt 1 &2

The Articles of Confederation (Timeline)

Enlightenment Thinkers (Primary Sources)

The Modern Supreme Court

The New Nation Pt 1 (Reading and answering concept Questions)

The New Nation Pt 2 (Reading and answering concept Questions)

The New Nation Pt 3 (Reading and answering concept Questions)

Watergate, Impeachment, Nixon and Ford

Beneficiaries of Progressivism

Expansion and Impact on Native American Indians

Political machines

Populism and the American Farmer

Social Reform Movements

Biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Judicial Branch

Liebeck v McDonalds

Minnesota v. Dickerson

The Slaughterhouse Cases (1873)

15th Amendment, Voter Registration and George Wallace

Immigration, Melting Pot v Cultural Pluralism

March on Washington, 1964 Civil Rights Act

MLK Nonviolence, Black Panthers, Black Nationalism

Native Americans in the 1800s

Nativism and the Know Nothings

Thomas Nast, Nativism, Chinese Exclusion Act

Voter Turnout, SNCC, Violence in Boston Integration

Citizenship

Diversity in Contemporary America

Eugenics

NC Declaration of Rights

PACING: each Unit is designed the same way (there is wiggle room if you'd like to add in projects/videos/webquests, etc.... about 1 to 2 days per unit on average)

Typically, a Unit last 2 weeks (Unit 5 and 6 are a little more in-depth, so those may take a couple days more each). Typically the first 6-7 days is teaching the information (all notes and PowerPoints are enclosed), one day where there is a review prior to the test (Quizlet and Kahoot links are enclosed), one day for tests (Each test has multiple Essay Questions, 30 matching vocabulary quizzes, and cumulative 50 question multiple choice questions, all are enclosed) and one day for test corrections (test correction forms and instructions also enclosed).

BONUS: I have enclosed Quizlet and Kahoot links for each Unit that is ONLY AVAILABLE with this Bundle!